WXYZ DETROIT — Spring is just a few weeks away and Detroit’s best kept secret is now out of the bag. Congratulations to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy! USA Today recently named our Riverfront as the best in the nation. The honor comes from the newspaper’s readers as well as a panel of editors and urban planning experts.
In capturing the top award, Detroit’s Riverwalk surpassed cities such as Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Cincinnati. The competition consisted of 20 river walks across the country. For those of us who have watched this 20-year transformation of the city’s international waterfront, this is a big accomplishment and recognition well deserved. Mark Wallace, President & CEO of the Conservancy, sums it best.
“It’s really exciting! For us, it shows how much love the community has for the Riverfront here. It’s a great moment to pause and remember how much transformation has occurred here on the Riverfront in a very short period of time. This is really putting us on a national stage and something we can all be proud of as Detroiters.”
The Conservancy has invested more than $200 million in revitalizing the Riverwalk. It currently spans three-and-half miles but the goal is five-and-a-half miles, from Belle Isle to the Ambassador Bridge. So far, the Detroit Riverfront has generated more than $2 billion in public and private investment. It has also become a destination attracting 3.5 million visitors annually. Use of the Riverwalk is up 20 percent during the pandemic.
With this kind of progress and momentum, let’s keep working together as one region to put a high shine on one of Detroit’s greatest gems.
I’m Mike Murri, V.P. & General Manager
Broadcast: March 4 - 7, 2021
